1. Then Job answered:
2. If only my grief could be weighedand my devastation placed with it in the scales.
3. For then it would outweigh the sand of the seas!That is why my words are rash.
4. Surely the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me;my spirit drinks their poison.God’s terrors are arrayed against me.
5. Does a wild donkey bray over fresh grassor an ox low over its fodder?
6. Is bland food eaten without salt?Is there flavor in an egg white?
7. I refuse to touch them;they are like contaminated food.
8. If only my request would be grantedand God would provide what I hope for:
9. that He would decide to crush me,to unleash His power and cut me off!
10. It would still bring me comfort,and I would leap for joy in unrelenting painthat I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
11. What strength do I have that I should continue to hope?What is my future, that I should be patient?
12. Is my strength that of stone,or my flesh made of bronze?
13. Since I cannot help myself,the hope for success has been banished from me.
14. A despairing man should receive loyalty from his friends, even if he abandons the fear of the Almighty.
15. My brothers are as treacherous as a wadi,as seasonal streams that overflow